Foldable reclining article of furniture



June 14, 1955 FOLDABLE RECLINING ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed Nov. 1, 1951 2 sheets-sheet 1 All '72 7a 50 1 44 42 u as I v INVENTOR I JOHHNNES LUCKHHRDT ATTORNEY J. LUCKHARDT 2,710,645

June 1 4, 1955 J. LUCKHARDT v FOLDABLE RECLINING ARTICLE OF FURNITURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 1, 1951 INVENTOR JOHQNN E5 LUCKHQRDT ATTORNEY HIM-EH 76 '26 74 2o 4 65 mm United States 2,710,645 FOLDABLE RECLINING ARTICLE OF FURNITURE .iohannes Luckhardt, Berlin-Dahlem, Germany, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Norman P. Martin and Otto L. Waiter as trustees of Epsilon Trust, Lake Worth, Fla.

The present invention relates to reclining articles of furniture, and more particularly to foldable reclining articles of furniture wherein the seat and the back-rest are included in a link system swingably mounted on a foldable support.

An object of the present invention is to provide a foldable reclining article of furniture, which may be readily collapsed or set up in its entireness by gripping the back-rest and a leg-rest rigidly connected with a link of the link system of the article of furniture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a foldable reclining article of furniture with a support having front legs and rear legs pivotally connected with each other, wherein, for the collapsing of the article of furniture, the back-rest and leg-rest are swung towards each other about their respective pivots and the swinging movement of the leg-rest causes automatically a swinging movement of the front legs of the support towards the rear legs of the latter.

A further object of the invention is to improve on the construction of foldable reclining articles of furniture as now customarily made.

Other objects and structural details of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a foldable reclining chair according to the invention, showing the latter in set up condition, the movable members of the chair being in sitting position,

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the set up chair shown in Fig. 1, wherein, however, the movable members of the chair are in a reclined position,

Fig. 3 illustrates the members of the foldable reclining chair shown in Fig. l in an intermediate position during the collapsing of the chair,

Fig. 4 illustrates the chair shown in Fig. l in collapsed condition,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a different embodiment of a chair according to the invention,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of another embodiment of a chair according to the invention,

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a further embodiment of a chair according to the invention,

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view illustrating the locking mechanism of the chair shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 99 of Fig. 8.

Referring noW to Figs. 1-4, 8 and 9, generally indicates a foldable support comprising a pair of front legs 22. connected with each other by a cross-bar 24 and a pair of rear legs 26 connected with each other by a crossbar 28. On each side of the chair the front and rear legs are pivotally connected with each other at 30. The spread position of the front and rear legs 22, 26 of the foldable support is limited by cooperating abutting surfaces 32, 34, arranged on said front and rear legs. When the chair is set up, said abutting surfaces 32, 34, are in engagement with each other.

atent o Patented June 14, 19 5 5 A back-rest 36 is swingably mounted at 38 on lugs 40 (only one being shown) carried by the rear legs 26 of the support 20. The rear portion of a seat 42 is pivotally connected with the back-rest at 44, at a point above and in front of the pivot 33 between the back-rest 36 and the support 20. On each side of the chair the lower end portion of a front connecting link 46 is pivotally connected at 48 with the front end portion of the seat 42. A leg-rest 50 is integral with the front connecting link 46, so that the leg-rest participates in movements of the front connecting link and vice versa. If desired, the leg-rest 50 could also be a separate member which is rigidly connected with the front connecting link in any suitable manner. The upper end of the front connecting link 46 is pivotally connected at 52 with the front end portion of a top connecting link 54 representing an arm-rest. The top connecting link 54 is provided with a slot 56 slidably engaged with a pin 58 attached to the back-rest 36 at an intermediate point thereof.

The upper end of a guiding link 60 is pivotally connected with the front connecting link 46 and top connecting link 54 at 52. The lower end of said guiding link 61? is pivotally connected with the front leg 22 of the foldable support 20 at 62, at a point spaced from thepivotal connection 30 between the front leg 22 and rear leg 26 of the support. The sitting position of the movable members of the chair, when the latter is set up, is limited by a cross-bar 64, connecting the rear legs 26 of the support 20 with each other.

When the chair is set up, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the pin 58 and the abutting surface on the left hand end 66 of the slot 56 being in engagement with each other form a rockable connection between the back-rest t 36 and the top connecting link 54, so that the back rest 36 may be swung in counter-clockwise direction about its pivot 38 from the position shown in Fig. 1 into the position shown in Fig. 2. If, for example, a person sitting on the chair performs such a swinging movement of the backrest 36 by leaning the weight of his body against the backrest 36 from the position shown in Fig. 1 into the position shown in Fig. 2, the pin 58 attached to the back-rest 36 being in engagement with the left hand end 66 of the slot 56 causes the formation of a constrained linkage including the back-rest 36, the seat 42, the front connecting link 46, the top connecting link 54, the guiding link 60 as movable links and the portion of the support 20 between the pivot 38 and the piot 62 as a stationary link. Thus, the movements of the seat 42 and the leg-rest 50 take place in coordination with the movement of the back-rest 36, and the seat 42 and leg-rest 50 are brought into the reclined position shown in Fig. 2 when the back-rest 36 is brought into the reclined position shown in said figure.

In order to limit the extreme reclined position of the movable members of the chair, the following device is arranged on the chair:

As best shown in Figs. 1, 2, 8 and 9, a plate 68 is rigidly connected with a back-rest 36 by the pins 38 and 44.

This plate has a recess 70 which comes into abutting engagement with a bolt 72 carried by an arm 74 pivotally The bolt 72 passing through a bore of the rear leg 26 has a threaded end engaged with the threaded bore of a locking knob 78. A braking element is mounted on the arm 74. If it is desired to hold the movable members in any suitable position, the locking knob 78 is tightened, whereby the braking element 80 is presesd against the plate 68 urging the latter against the rear leg 26. Thus, owing to the rigid connection between the plate 68 and p the back-rest 36, the movable members of the set-up chair may be held in any desired position.

If it is desired to collapse the set-up chair, the backrest 36 and the le -rest Share gripped by: the hands. The back-rest is swung about its pivot 38 in clockwise direction; duringthis swinging movement the pin 58 attached to the back-rest 36' becomes disengaged from the left hand end 66 of the slot 56 and, thereafter, slides along the slot 56 of.the top connecting link 54. The leg-rest 50 is swung in=counter-clockwise directionabout its pivot 48 towards the back-rest 36; the pivot 62 between the front leg 22 ofthe. support and the guiding link 69 is arranged so spacedfrom the pivot between the front leg 22 and rearleg 26 of thesupport 20, that during this swinging movement of the leg rest the front leg 22 is swung in clockwise direction. about its pivot 30 towards the rear leg26 of the foldablesupport.

Fig. 3. illustratesv an intermediateposition of the members: of the chair during, above described collapsing thereof.

Fig. 4 illustrates the chair incompletely collapsed condition. Owing to the. relative arrangement between the pivots 38 and 44 the back-rest 36 and leg rest 50 are near to. each other and owing to the. arrangement of. the pivots 30=and 62 therear legs 26and front legs 22 are adjacent to each other, when the chair is completely collapsed.

In order to bring the collapsed chair into setup condition, above described manipulation of the chair is reversed, that is, the back-rest 36. is swungca'oout its pivot 38 in counterrclockwise directionandi theleg-rest 50 is swung about itspivot48 in clockwise direction, away from each other. Thismanipulation.causes a sliding of the pin 53 along the slot 56 of the top connecting link 54 and a swinging movement of the front leg 22- in counterclockwise direction about the pivot 30 for unfolding the collapsed chair.

Fig. 5' illustrates a. different embodiment. of the chair wherein the guiding link 160 is'pivotally connected with the top connecting link 154 at a-point 151 spaced from the pivotal connection 152 between the front connecting link146 and the top connecting link 154. The remaining elements of the foldable chair (not shown in Fig. 5) may be connected with each other substantially in the same manner. as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 illustrates another emobdiment of a foldable chair according to the invention, wherein the guiding link 260 is pivoted at 253 to the front connecting link 246 at apoint spaced from the pivotal connection 252 between the front connecting link 246 and the top connecting link 254. Again, the remaining elements of the foldable chair (not shown in Fig. 6) may be connected with each other substantially in the same manner as shown in Fig. 1.

According to the embodiment shown in Fig; 7, the pivotal connection 338 between the back-rest 336 and the support 320 is in coaxial alignment with the pivotal connection between the back-rest 336 and the seat 342. The downward extension 368 of the back-rest 336 is integral with the latter. The remaining elements of the foldable chair (not shown in Fig. 7) may be connected with each other substantially in the same manner as shown in Fig. 1.

I have described preferred embodiments of my invention, but it is understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration and that various omissions or changes in shape, proportion and arrangement of parts, as Well as the substitution of equivalent elements for those herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention asset forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In afoldable' reclining article of'furniture, the combination of a foldable support including a pair of connected front legs and a pairof connected rear legs, saidpairs-=oflegs being pivotally connected with each other for collapsing and setting up the support, a linkage having stationary link-means and a plurality of movable links, said stationary link-means being included in said support when the latter is set up, said movable links including a seat-member, a back-rest member, a guiding link and a chain of connecting links including a top connecting link at one end of the chain and a front connecting link at the other end of the chain, the lower end portion of said guiding link being pivoted to a front leg of said pair of front legs of said foldable support at a point spaced from the pivotal connection of said front leg with the associated rear leg, the upper end portion of said guiding link being connected with at least one of said connecting links, connecting means on said pair of rear legs enabling said back-rest and said seat members to move relative thereto, the lower portion of said front connecting link being pivoted to the front portion of said seat member, a rockable connection and disengageable means arranged on the rear end portion of said top connecting link and an intermediate point of said back-rest member above the plane of said seat-member, said disengageable means and said rockable connection being in engagement with each other when the back-rest member of the set-up article is moved backwardly so as to render said linkage a constrained one, and a leg-rest rigid with said front connecting link, said disengageable means between the top connecting link and the rockable connection permitting a collapsing movement of the back-rest member in forward direction towards the support, and said rigid arrangement of the leg-rest and the front connecting link in cooperation with said pivotal connection between the guiding link and the front leg of the support causing a movement of the front legs towards the rear legs of the support when, during the collapsing of the article, the leg-rest and backrest are swung forwardly in opposite directions towards each other.

2. In a foldable reclining article of furniture as claimed in claim 1, cooperating abutting surfaces arranged on associated front and rear legs of said foldable support for imiting the spread position thereof.

3. In a foldable reclining article of furniture as claimed in claim 1, said back-rest member being pivoted to the rear legs of the foldable support, and said seat-member being pivoted to said back-rest member.

4. In a foldable reclining article of furniture as claimed in claim 1, said back-rest member being pivoted to the rear legs of the foldable support, and said seat-member being pivoted to said back-rest member at a point above and in front of the pivotal connection between the backrest member and the rear legs of the foldable support.

5. In a foldable reclining article of furniture as claimed in claim 1, said back-rest member and said seat-member being pivoted to the rear legs of the foldable support.

6. In a foldable reclining article of furniture as claimed in claim 1, said back-rest member and said seat-member being coaxially pivoted to the rear legs of the foldable support.

7. In a foldable reclining article of furniture as claimed in claim 1, the upper end portion of said guiding link being in pivotal connection with said front connecting link and said top connecting link.

8. In a foldable reclining article of furniture as claimed in claim 1, the upper end portion of said guiding link being pivoted to said top connecting link.

9. In a foldable reclining article of furniture as claimed in claim 1, the upper end portion of said guiding link being pivoted to said front connecting link.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNETED STATES PATENTS 2,195,091 Lorenz et al. Mar. 26, 1940 2,571,463 Lorenz Oct. 16, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 603,245 Great Britain June 11, 1948 

